Abu Bakr Shekau gives bayah to Al -Baghdadi (image al Jazeera)
As the world’s media reported on two explosions allegedly carried out at Baga fish market and Monday Market in Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria, said to be linked to Boko Haram, an announcement was made that the militant group’s leader Abu Bakr Shekau has allegedly given bayah (allegiance) to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Emir of the Islamic State. An 8 minute audio video link was sent to journalists with what appeared to be Shekau’s voice though this could not be independently verified.
Boko Haram refers to the Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad and is an Islamist movement based in northeast Nigeria that has carried out a number of terrorist attacks. The group is also said to be active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon and gained worldwide attention when it kidnapped 275 girls from a school in Borno State last April. The ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ campaign was set up in an effort to secure their release and gained much support on social media.
The Maiduguri attacks on Saturday were thought to have been carried out by two female suicide bombers and claimed the lives of 58 people with a further 139 injured. A third explosion hit the Borno Express bus terminal shortly after the other bombings, see Guardian link for details,
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/07/boko-haram-suicide-bombers-50-dead-maiduguri
The Independent recently reported that Nigerian minister, Osita Chidoka, a close associate of President Goodluck Jonathan had raised concerns that Boko Haram “will try to copy groups like Isis and al-Shabaab. It can target the West like these groups do, target Europe, Britain – it would want to be like these other groups.” He added,
“the danger is that they can go beyond the region and become international. That is why Nigeria must be supported in what we are trying to do. We need full commitment from the international community.”
Transcript of audio
Boko Haram bayah to al Baghdadi (Audio statement with subtitles, still image from video)
“All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness, we seek refuge in Allah Most High from the evils of our own selves and from our wicked deeds. Whoever Allah guides cannot be misguided and whoever he leads astray cannot be guided. I testify that there is no true God worthy of being worshipped except Allah, Alone without partner or associate. I further testify that Mohammad is His slave and Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him)
As to what follows, from your brother in Allah, Abu Mohamed Abu Bin Muhammed Shekau the Imam of Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah Liddal Awati Wal Jihad to the Caliph of Muslims Abubakar Abu Bakr Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al -Hosseini al-Qurashi. We are sending you this message following what Allah said in his Quran: and hold fast all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves and what the Prophet (PBUH) said (Whoever died and he had not Imam, died by death of ignorance). In submission to the order of Allah “Azza wa Jal” and submission to the order of the Prophet (PBUH) to not separate from each other and stay united as Ummah as Jamaa’ah we announce our allegiance to the Caliph of Muslims Ibrahim Awad ibn Ibrahim al-Husseini al-Qurashi and will heaer and obey in times of difficulty and prosperity, in hardship and ease, and to endure being discriminated against and not to dispute about role with those in power except in case of infidelity regarding at our disposal about which there is evidence, proof from Allah.
We call on Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the Caliph and support him as obedience to Allah and as their application of the absent duty of the era, we pledged allegiance to the Caliph because of the Interest of the Ummah in their religion and in their Dunya is to have an Imam that looks after them according to the Allah’s rule and fights the enemy of Islam and those who fights the rule of Allah and this is the completeness of the religion with the book and the sword that favours Ibn Taymiyaah may Allah have mercy on him said (People must know that having to rule the people is one of the greatest duties of the Religion, even the Religion and the world for Muslims will never be in complete without it, the interest of Sons of Adam won’t be successful without them being united under one Jamaa’ah after their gathering together they must have a head and its not a problem even if the less of the groups who oppose the others unite for this cause to reaffirm the importance of the union of this gathering.
We pledge allegiance because there is no cure of the dissimilarity that Ummah have except the Caliphate, we also call all the Muslims to join us in this goodness because it would enrage the enemy of Allah, by Allah, our gathering under one banner and one Imam is more heavy to the enemy for them than our victory on the battlefield.
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar and to Allah belongs all honour and to his messenger and to the believers but the hypocrites that do not understand, may Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad your brother in Allah Abu Bakr Abu Mohamed Abu Bakr bin Momamed Shekau the Imam of Jamaa’atu Ablus Sunnah Liddal Awati Wal Jihad.”
Audio link
Links
“Bring Back Our Girls: Michelle Obama and Malala Yousafzai support campaign for return of kidnapped Nigeria schoolgirls”
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog 